


This is why we can't have nice things

by hopelessly_me



Category: Marvel
Genre: Amused Natasha, Exhausted steve, M/M, This is why The Avengers can't have nice things, annoyed Tony, happy birthday bucky barnes, its literally double trouble with these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:09:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29958015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopelessly_me/pseuds/hopelessly_me
Summary: All Clint wanted to do was light a few candles on Bucky’s birthday cake...
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton
Comments: 29
Kudos: 71
Collections: Winterhawk Bingo Round Two





	This is why we can't have nice things

**Author's Note:**

> The happiest of birthdays to Bucky Barnes.
> 
> Winterhawk Bingo square N4 “dumbasses in love”

Natasha stared at the two men across the table from her, mostly amused but unable to show it. Their faces were covered in smoke, bits of their clothes singed, and Natasha was pretty sure an eyebrow was looking _a_ _little_ worse for wear. They smelled like they ran into a burning building, and she knew that just a few floors above them that the smell would be even worse. But neither of them looked ashamed, both of them grinning ear to ear, and if she had to guess, they were probably holding hands under the table like the lovesick idiots they were, but they were her favorite lovesick idiots so….

“Tell me this story one more time,” Tony asked, sounding flabbergasted, his hand scrubbing his face while the other arm was wrapped around his chest lightly.

“It’s Bucky’s birthday, and I wanted to make him a cake,” Clint said. “Which I did. And it looked fantastic and I have the photos to prove it.”

Clint went to reach for his phone. “Put. It. Away,” Steve said firmly. 

Natasha glanced towards the window and watched as a few firemen were descending the stairs, some of them laughing, some carrying tiny disposable plates with cupcakes and other treats. _Just like Clint to over bake for one day_ Natasha thought fondly. Icing in pinks and purples and blues danced by her and she could taste the desserts just thinking about them. It was all for Bucky so if Natasha had to guess she was willing to bet there was vanilla raspberry something and a chocolate cherry something desserts somewhere, hopefully not completely destroyed.

“Anyway. I thought he needed a big birthday cake with candles because he hadn’t had a cake like that in ages,” Clint said. “I mean, when he turned one hundred all it had were the stupid number candles. And how boring is that?”

“Boring?” Tony asked incredulously.

“No, let him finish. I want to hear this,” Steve said, waving a hand at Tony to ward him off.

Clint looked between the two who were interrogating him before he shrugged. “So I put candles on the cake.”

“All one hundred and four?” Steve asked.

“.... sure? I don’t know. I lost count after, like, fifty and guessed,” Clint admitted, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “Anyway. I put the candles on the cake and the rest is kinda obvious, am I right?”

Steve sighed, his fingertips resting on the table. He was trying to look stern, but Natasha could see the exhaustion from this settling in. It was a losing battle telling these two anything, everyone in the Tower knew that. Clint had a habit of winging anything and everything, impulsive to a fault. And Bucky, well- if someone told him what to do and he was in the right mood, he could look you right in the eyes and do it anyway.

“It's not Bucky’s fault he’s old,” Clint added awkwardly.

“That does _not_ help your case,” Tony said.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Steve said at the same time with a groan. “Continue with the story.” Clint went to open his mouth. “No. Not you. Him.”

Clint looked half ashamed and looked over at Bucky, who was starting to grin again. “Anyway, he thought the best way to get all the candles lit was by using a flamethrower and-”

“And there it is,” Tony announced. “The level of dumbassery we have all been waiting for ladies and gents.” Bucky rolled his eyes dramatically. If Natasha wasn’t smiling before, she was smiling now.

“And you didn’t think to tell Clint no, that it was dangerous and stupid?” Steve asked.

“Hey! I’m an adult! I could have told myself no!” Clint said defensively, leaning forward against the table. “It just sounded like fun to light candles with a flamethrower than with matches. That and matches would have taken too long and ruined the icing on the cake.”

“On the cake that is more toasted than a marshmallow,” Steve pointed out. “Your impulse control is terrible. Which brings me back to what the hell, Buck?” he asked, looking from Clint back to Bucky.

“How was I going to tell him no? He looked so excited to try it out. I thought ‘what’s the worst that can happen’ and let it go,” Bucky said. Tony and Steve both stared at Bucky in disbelief. “Clearly you two are somehow immune to his overly excited look. I am not. It was adorable.” He tucked singed hair back behind his ear. “Anyway, he lit them and we noticed that it looked like a ball of fire-”

“No shit,” Tony interjected.

Bucky raised a single finger to Tony. “And we tried to blow it out. But-”

Clint said something quickly, almost too quietly. Natasha, however, caught the words and her smile became too sweet. “What was that, sweetheart?” she asked. Clint’s eyes went level with hers, bits of pink showing up in the spots where his face hadn’t been darkened by the smoke. His shoulders pulled up and Natasha waited before he sighed.

“I said I forgot to make sure they weren’t the relighting ones,” Clint grumbled.

This time Natasha couldn’t help it. She leaned back in her chair and laughed, her arms coming up to hug her midsection. Tears pooled at the corner of her eyes, threatening to spill over. She wouldn’t remember the last time she laughed so hard.

“This isn’t funny! We had to call the fire department!” Steve exclaimed loudly.

“We tried to blow it out,” Bucky said as calmly as he could, which only made Natasha continue to laugh, leaning forward and burying her head into her arms.

“You tried to blow it out,” Tony said in a tone much too flat compared to Natasha’s laugh. “You laughing is not helping,” he told Natasha, frustrated.

“And neither of you thought of maybe getting water, or the fire extinguisher?” Steve asked, well past done with the nonsense.

“.... that was not a thought that had crossed my mind,” Bucky admitted, and Natasha could _hear_ the thought dawning on him.

“You blow out candles, Steve,” Clint said, deadpan. “Wait. Did you guys not blow out candles as kids?” he asked, as if that idea just dawned on him.

“Oh lord, help me,” Tony said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Steve’s palms pressed together as they came up in front of his face, aligning along the middle as he closed his eyes. “You both… are idiots,” he said, exasperated but a smile was starting to peek out. “Please tell me what you both learned from this.”

“That we probably shouldn’t use a flamethrower?” Bucky asked.

“To double check the bastards can’t relight,” Clint said with confidence.

“Clint no!” Tony shouted.

“What?!” Clint shouted back. “We totally could have blown them out completely if it wasn’t for relighting!”

“That is not the takeaway!” Tony insisted.

Clint groaned and collapsed back in his seat, his head lolling over to look at Bucky, their hands finally visible above the table as Clint put them, neatly folded, on the armrest of Bucky’s chair. “What was it you said we learned?”

“No flamethrower next time,” Bucky supplied, leaning over to kiss his temple.

And okay- Natasha wasn’t much of a mushy, romantic person. She had a habit of blocking Steve and Tony from kissing with anything she could, including her hand on a few occasions. She rarely watched “chick flicks” with the people she called a family, although one well timed pout from Clint was all it took for her to cave occasionally. She wasn’t _made_ to be sappy and romantic. But when it came to seeing her best friend unbelievably happy, smiling and leaning closer to the person who Natasha could finally trust with him? Natasha could watch that for days. 

She felt her laughter and resulting grin die down to a small smile, her head hanging a little. If anyone else noticed the change they didn’t comment, not that she thought they would.

“Alright fine. No flamethrowers,” Clint agreed, that smirk of mischief coming back. “At least not _inside_ ,” he added. Bucky grinned back.


End file.
